British Rugby Superleague and Australian NRL?

Question

Why is it that the Australians are always so quick to write off the British Rugby Superleague when their own teams can't even beat ours in the World Club Challenge? Lets face it, the Australians haven't even won that cup for over five years, so why not save yourselves the embarrasment of going home empty handed and just let the British Teams keep the trophy?

Answer 1

A hyberbolic question - what fun.  No real answers, only opinions.  For a start, British Rugby Superleague is a misnomer: it is NOT Rugby, but Rugby League.  For many years I've watched the game as played in both the UK & in Oz, and nothing much has changed.  The Brit game seems to produce a hard core of possibly two dozen outstanding players.  In the Aussie comp, at least twice that number of players could be in consideration for Test series selection at the end of each season.  Oz teams play a faster, more linear, defence-oriented game - possibly not as attractive as the northern hemisphere ball-distribution style, but demanding greater stamina in both defence and attack.  Australian teams win Test series by playing to these strengths.  As for the end-of-season goodwill trip:  After winning an NRL Premiership, any further inter-club football is a bit of an anti-climax.  And I've no real axe to grind here (I stopped being passionate about League when my team - North Sydney - were shafted out of the comp by News Ltd).  What you've just read are my honest, unbiassed observations from watching and playing the game over the course of many years.

Answer 2

Everyone outside England knows that the only reason the Aussies don't win that game is because they really do not care about it while the Superleague teams probably see the game as a chance to show their stuff.

I hate the Aussies but I know they only lose those games because they see the Superleague competition as being a long way behind the NRL.  Every player in the NRL sets their sights purely on the NRL Grand Final and once that is gone, they switch off.  To all of us in the southern hemisphere, the World Club Challenge just isn't important.

You could take the best Superleague team and put them in the NRL and they would be struggling to make the playoffs.  The fact that the only "elite" players from NZ and Australia that go to the Superleague are all passed their prime would show you the intensity isn't the same  Seeing average-below average players going to the Superleague and excelling is another.

You may not like it, or believe it, but thats how it's seen from the outside.